“Surgery?” He coughed as he tried to sit up. “I have to address the pack tonight.”
She pressed him back down and fit a clear plastic tube for oxygen over his face. “And you need to be alive and breathing to do it. Now stay put or I’ll give you a sedative that will knock you out for a week!”
There was a glint in her eye that had him subsiding. “What kind of surgery?” His voice sounded stronger, the oxygen from the nasal cannula making it easier to breathe and talk.
“I’ll know better once I get x-rays of your lungs and I can examine the wound better. Right now, I suspect I’ll need to insert a chest tube to get rid of the air that’s accumulated between the inside of the chest and the outside of the lung. Stitches to close the gash in your side. And I’m hoping nothing else was nicked or I’ll be patching up your insides as well.”
She continued to mutter and berate him right up to the time she knocked him out.
It had been a battle to get her to disconnect his IV so he could attend this meeting. He looked to where she was now standing, watching him like a hawk. As soon as he was done here, she wanted him back at the infirmary. Truth be told, he wished he was there now. He felt as weak as a newborn pup. With any luck, this would go down as the shortest pack meeting in history and he’d be able to get his ass back into bed.
He shifted his weight and barely managed to hold back a wince as pain shot from his side. Another glance at Nadia revealed she was giving him a look that screamed ‘I told you so’. The corner of his mouth twitched. Her acerbic attitude was entertaining…in small doses. On a permanent basis, he’d prefer a sweet, gentle woman.
Like the girl at the movies? His inner wolf queried.
Perhaps. If we ever met again, she might prove to match the mental fantasy that had developed around her.
The wolf thumped its tail in approval and then subsided. It too was worn out from the fight earlier in the day.
Kane left off his mental musings when the sound of the gavel banging drew his attention. William was calling the meeting to order. The older man had been Alpha before Zack and was viewed by many in a grandfatherly light.
“Members of the pack, as you know a challenge was issued for the position of Alpha. Under the supervision of OPATA, the fight occurred just before noon and Kane Sinclair emerged victorious. I bow before you, Alpha Kane.”
The membership stood and as one followed suit. “We bow before you, Alpha.”
Kane nodded and William stepped to the side as he took his place behind the podium. An odd thrill washed over him. It would now be his spot at every meeting until his death or he abdicated.
“I am Alpha.” He spoke the phrase loudly, using the same power and conviction of all the Alphas who had held the position before him. There could be no doubt in his voice, no wavering in his gaze as he swept it over those assembled before him. “I will serve you, guide you and guard you with my life.”
The pack responded in the age-old tradition. “We will follow your dictates, respect your wisdom, serve you and guard you with our lives.”
William stepped forward again. “As Kane is already a member of our pack, there is no need for a symbolic mixing of our blood.” He scanned the room but no one protested.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kane saw Nadia making a face likely thinking he’d already shed enough blood that day. The corner of his mouth twitched again. She came across as hard-nosed but he knew she had a quirky sense of humour that few realized.
“Kane,” William spoke his name. “Please sign your name in the front of the Book of the Law.”
Kane stepped over to the table and watched as William took the ancient tome from its place on the shelf. The book was centuries old, dating back to the time the pack was first formed. The front pages listed all the Alphas that had served before him; Caius, Gregor, Primus, Theo… He wasn’t ashamed that his hand trembled slightly as he picked up the pen and added his name to the list. It was now his duty to ensure the pack continued to grow and thrive. His decisions and actions would impact future generations. He swallowed hard hoping in centuries to come his years of rule would be looked upon favourably.
William witnessed his signature. “It is done.”
Everyone applauded and Kane returned to the podium to address his pack. His pack. The phrase made his heart swell.
“I thank you for your welcome and know I can count on you for your support. I’m sure many of you have questions, perhaps personal concerns you’d like to bring to my attention. Rest assured, I will try to be available to all of you. Unfortunately, a pressing matter prevents me from having a Q&A right now.”
“Is this to do with Ryne?” Someone shouted from the back. “You didn’t kill him as protocol dictates.”
He tightened his lips. It was an issue he planned to address, just not today. The heckler, however, was testing his authority and a response was needed. “Step forward and address me properly.” He growled the words letting all present know he was displeased.
A young man walked to the front of the room and stopped a few yards from the podium. He was barely beyond a pup. His face pale, he kept glancing behind him. No doubt he’d been dared by his friends.
“You’re Joshua, correct?”
“Yes, Alpha.” The boy nodded and swallowed hard.
“What did I say before you shouted out your question?” Folding his arms, Kane rested them on the podium and arched one brow.
“That…that you had pressing matters to deal with.” Joshua’s voice cracked mid-sentence.
“I’m pleased to know your hearing isn’t faulty.” He raised his eyes to the membership knowing they were wondering if he’d answer the boy’s initial question. To do so would be a sign of weakness, a contradiction of his statement that questions would be answered another day. He’d not be tricked in such an amateurish manner. “The meeting is concluded. Questions will be answered as soon as my schedule allows. You are all dismissed.”
He pushed off from the podium and began to walk to the door where Nadia was tapping her foot. Neither his posture nor stride showed he was feeling weak or in pain. As he passed the young man who seemed frozen in place, he gave him a nod. “Have a good evening, Joshua. And remember, friends who dare you to do something stupid aren’t the friends you need.”
“I will Alpha. Thank you, Alpha.”
Somehow, he managed to avoid being detained by anyone and slid gratefully into Nadia’s car. A sigh escaped him as he relaxed into the cushioned surface. “I’m exhausted, just like you predicted.”
She didn’t say anything, merely raising a brow and starting the car. It was a short drive to the infirmary, completed in silence. He didn’t mind, being too tired to talk. Once they reached their destination. Nadia ushered him inside.
“Shirt off.”
He bit back a groan as he removed his shirt, the movement of his arm pulling on the wound. Throwing the garment on a nearby chair, he sat on the side of the bed.
Nadia checked his bandages, her hands steady and professional as they skimmed over him. “No bleeding. Good.”
“I tried not to move too much.” He toed off his shoes, eager to lie down and rest.
“You handled the meeting well.”
“Thanks.”
“I heard what you said to Joshua. Good advice.” She handed him two pain pills and then a glass of water. “Take these.”
His side was throbbing enough he didn’t even quibble over taking the medication. “He’s a good kid. He just needs to learn to think for himself.”
“It can be hard to balance; pack mentality is important—”
“To a certain extent.” He leaned back, sighing as his head touched the cool pillow. “Blindly following a stupid idea is just—”
“Stupid?”
“Yeah.” He laughed and then winced.
She smiled. “Goodnight…Alpha.”
Chapter 7
The following weeks were a whirlwind of activity. Kane had meetings with the pack lawyer and account
ant to go over pack finances and investments as well as completing the mandatory forms to ensure his name was on all official documents for Lycan Link. The question and answer session he’d promised the pack happened and he did his best to ease any fears the members might have had over the transition of power.
Surprisingly enough, it was Helen who had a concern, though she expressed it privately.
“I’ll be packing my things this weekend.” She made the announcement over breakfast one morning.
“What?” He nearly choked on his coffee. “Why?”
“You’re Alpha now. This is your house. You and your mate will need the room.” She made the statement in a matter of fact manner, punctuating it by cracking an egg into the frying pan.
“Wait a minute. What mate? And this is your home, Helen. I’m not kicking you out.”
“You’re a young, handsome and unmarried Alpha. You’ll have a mate soon.” She nodded as she dropped the egg shells into the compost container. “Besides, that suite of rooms upstairs is too big for me.”
“Helen, you can’t leave. I need you.”
“Why?”
“Well...” His stomach chose to growl at that moment and he took it as a sign. “Who will cook for me?”
She laughed. “You know darned well how to cook. I taught you, so don’t try to pull that one on me.”
“Sorry. That was a dumb reason. But...” He tried to think of another argument for her to stay. “I’ll still need a hostess for a while. I’ve no intention of finding a mate anytime soon.”
“John’s Carrie will help out.”
“She’s going to be busy with a new pup.” He stood up and walked over to where Helen stood, turning her to face him and then crouching down a bit so they were eye to eye. “This is your home. There’s no need to leave. If and when I ever find a mate, she’ll be busy raising our pups and helping me.”
“Well…” Helen looked away.
He could sense her indecision, knew in his gut that she didn’t really want to go and was probably offering to leave out of some misplaced sense of propriety. He pressed his point.
“When you and Zack took over, the girls, Ryne and I were already teenagers. Can you imagine how busy you would have been raising pups and being female Alpha all by yourself?”
She considered his words. “It is a busy time… But that suite of rooms holds too many memories.”
“Then switch rooms. There’s a housekeeper’s unit that hasn’t been used in ages. You could move in there.”
“I don’t know…”
“Listen, you’ve taken the place of my mother for years. Hell, you’ve been more of a mother to me than she ever was. I can’t kick you out of the house!”
“Mother? Oh Kane!” Her eyes got misty and she reached out to squeeze his hand.
“You can stay here and be a…a den mother!” He grinned, pleased with his idea.
“I…” She looked about the kitchen. “I would miss this place and I really don’t know what I’ll do with my time.”
“Well, I’m sure your girls would love to have your help, but I need you more. I’m a poor bachelor after all.” He tried to look helpless.
“Ha!”
He laughed and then rubbed his hands together. “Then it’s decided. I’ll get someone here today and you tell him if you want any changes to the housekeeper’s unit. And I’ll inform the Council of your new official title when we meet today.”
“And you can take over my suite of rooms. Maybe even put a doorway between your current room and the one Zack and I used. The whole wing of the house could be yours then.”
“I don’t need that much space.”
“You will.” She gave him a knowing look. “Once you start a family, you’ll be glad to have those rooms.”
He rolled his eyes. Settling down wasn’t on his list quite yet. Getting settled into his role as Alpha would consume most of his time and energy for the foreseeable future. Starting a family wasn’t even on the horizon.
His meeting with the Elders didn’t go quite as planned. Oh, they’d been pleased with Helen’s new role, however there were more pressing matters on their mind.
“Ryne is out to sabotage the pack.” William announced.
“How so?” Kane folded his hands on the table, trying to keep them from tensing. Many of the pack had it in for Ryne, while he…he still felt a fraternal connection that was hard to deny. Yes, they’d fought but he hoped for a reconciliation at some future date.
“Since Zack’s accident, a lot of things have gone wrong around here. Our electricity was turned off for non-payment two weeks ago, even though the bill had been paid,” one Elder said.
“And last week the Fire Marshall was here, wanting to inspect all the buildings because of an anonymous tip,” another Elder pointed out.
William nodded. “We’ve had traps set on the property and hunters spotted on our land.”
Kane shrugged. “Hunters are always a problem.”
“True,” William agreed. “But a scout reported an oil slick near the mouth of the river yesterday. It’s killed off some of the wildlife.”
He felt himself pale at the news even as anger coursed through him. Surging to his feet, the sound of his chair being roughly shoved back punctuated his movement. Hands curled at his sides, he glared at the group. “Why wasn’t I told of this?”
“We’re telling you now.”
“I am the Alpha of this pack.” He pointed to his chest. “The scouts should be reporting to me or at the very least, John.” He swept his eyes over the group. “How long has this been going on?”
“You were ill the first week, Kane.” One of them began to explain. “We felt it best—”
“No.” He brought his fist down on the table. “I’ll not be finding out news second-hand. The Council of Elders is here to advise me, not to filter the information I do or do not receive.”
The group seemed taken aback but nodded.
“I’ll check out the site of the spill this afternoon. As for Ryne being responsible, I’ll assess the evidence myself before coming to any conclusions.” He folded his arms. “You are dismissed.”
He watched as they filed out. William hung back until the others were gone.
“Yes?” He arched a brow at the man.
“You did well, Kane.”
“Pardon?”
“The Council of Elders contains many wise members but, like the rest of the pack, they will test your strength in various ways to ensure you are fit. You passed the first hurdle.” William gave him a wink before leaving.
That was the first hurdle? He rubbed the back of his neck wondering what was next.
That afternoon, he headed out to where the oil spill had been found, hoping it wasn’t too extensive. He had no experience with such an occurrence but the news reports of other spills he’d seen on TV led him to believe it wouldn’t be an easy fix. He’d have to contact an environmentalist to assess the damage, buy some booms to help contain the oil, perhaps hire wildlife specialists to help rehabilitate any animals that had been affected.
It took some time to reach the location, an area where a highway crossed a corner of their property. The distance and rocky terrain meant it was seldom visited so who knew how long the oil had been there. As he surveyed the area, his brows lowered at the destruction before him.
An oil slick covered the water, the iridescent colours slowly spreading outward like a macabre rainbow, eddying around the dead fish that floated on the surface, their silvery white bellies starkly contrasting the evil darkness that killed all it touched. Along the shore, plants were already drooping from the poison while several dead animals and birds lay covered in the toxic sticky goo.
The sight sickened him, a muscle pulsed in his jaw as he took in the destruction. Where did he even start? Mid-thought, a slight movement caught his attention and he slid down the river bank to the location. It was a duckling struggling weakly to free itself. Nearby, its siblings were already dead.
He
bent and picked it up, the tiny body seeming even more fragile in his much larger hand. With the tip of a finger, he tried to gently brush the oil from its bill and soft down. Dark button eyes blinked up at him, its fluttering heartbeat visible against its chest.
“Hey there, little guy. Don’t worry.” He kept his voice soft and hopefully soothing. “I’ll take you back to the pack house and get you cleaned up.”
Even as he spoke, the small creature trembled in his hand and then went completely limp, its head hanging lifelessly to the side.
He pressed his lips together. This small soul had been part of his territory and he’d been too late to save it. Rage filled him as he bent to set the dead animal on the ground, his inner wolf howling at the senseless waste of life.
Whoever did this had to pay!
A sound caught his attention and he turned, scanning the trees until he located a flash of blonde hair.
“Marla?” He called out her name.
“Kane?” She picked her way over to him, stepping over logs and ducking under low hanging branches. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“I could say the same thing.”
She dropped her gaze. “I’m sorry. I…I’ll leave. I know this is your territory.”
“And yours.”
“But…” She looked at him, her head tilted to the side, clearly puzzled. “Ryne lost and, naturally, I was on his side.”
“This will always be your pack, Marla, as long as you want it to be.” He folded his arms and quirked his brow. “I am surprised you aren’t with Ryne though.”
“Oh.” She looked away. “When he lost, he said he was going to leave the area. I was going to go with him but he’s been acting differently lately. I…I’m sort of scared of him.”
“Scared?”
She twisted her fingers. “Ryne’s been talking crazy, more quick tempered than usual. I…” She paused and took a deep breath. “I broke up with him, said I didn’t want to leave. He stormed out and I haven’t seen him since.”
Kane: I Am Alpha Page 5